Share via

Sharepoint error "Sorry, we couldn't open 'http://site/file.xxx'"

Anonymous
2017-07-26T00:18:35+00:00

I cannot open files from SharePoint online and am getting the error message "Sorry, we couldn't open 'http://site/file.xxx'". I have tried Chrome, IE and Edge and all getting the same error. As a workaround, I am able to download the file and work on it offline and then re-upload it, but this is very cumbersome.

I have tried clearing the upload centre document cache, and didn't fix it.

Any suggestions?

thanks in advance

Microsoft 365 and Office | SharePoint | For business | Windows

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

  1. Anonymous
    2017-07-27T01:06:52+00:00

    I have solved it, and it was related to my authentication credentials as I had suspected.

    The issue was when my personal Office365 subscription renewed (Micosoft Account credentials) it somehow deleted my Enterprise Account within Office. The fix was to re-add my Enterprise Account to Office as per the following steps:

    1. Open MS Word
    2. Select "File" from the Ribbon
    3. Select "Account" from the left hand menu
    4. Select "Switch Accounts"
    5. Select "Add Account"
    6. Enter the User ID and Password for my Enterprise Account (SharePoint Online) and select the "Sign In" button.

    Once this was done, the Service connections to the sharepoint site were all re-connected and I dont have any issue opening office documents on the sharepoint site anymore.

    50+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments

2 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2017-07-26T07:59:26+00:00

    Hi Yoga,

    1. The site is already a trusted site, has been for a long time - but I double checked anyway.
    2. I don't want to sync folders with my laptop as it is full and does not have free space to downoad the shareoint documents so thats not an option. I've been accessing the site files for the last 5 years by clicking on the link on the site and never had this issue before and it just appeared for no reason.
    3. The sceanrios on the blog are not what I am experiencing.

    ...to your other two points

    1. The issue is for all files across the site and it doesn't matter what user login credentials I use (as I have tried a few different user accounts and I get the same result). I tried on another laptop and it all works fine, so it is definitely something to do with the client or authentication on my laptop. I have tried IE, Chrome and Edge - all get the same result, os is not a browser issue. I have run a repair on the Microsoft Sign-in Assistant thinking it might be a credential issue when opening the document but this didn't fix it. I've also tried clearing the Microsoft Upload Center Cache and that didn't help either. Ive also tried deleting all of the files in the Microsoft Upload Center Cache manually as well and still no luck.
    2. The 'detailed' steps are very staightforward, as follows:
      1. I login to the sharepoint site - all fine.
      2. I navigate to a document library (and i've tried a few) then click on a document to open it. With Chrome it opens the document in online view fine and IE goes to open the document in word directly (bypasses the online view). Irrespective of what browser I am using (since the erro occurs with all three), word opens and attempts to open the document,  it trys for a bit then after abot 5 seconds I get the error message "Sorry, we couldn't open 'https://site.com.au/folder/subfolder/file.doc'." as per the screen shot below.

    Very strange, I don't know why it has suddenly started doing this. I am wondering if it is trying to use my personal Microsoft Account credentials that I use to sign into my laptop to open the document, which won't work as the sharepoint site uses enterprise credentials. Ive also checked the credential manager and verified that the login credentials for the sharepoint site are correct, so it *should* be using that, nt my personal microsoft account credentials.

    2 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2017-07-26T02:42:28+00:00

    Hi Grant,

    Based on your description, you cannot open files in SharePoint Online. I would  like to suggest you check the following:

        1. Ensure the site is added to your trusted sites.

        2. Follow detailed steps in this article to fix problems opening documents in SharePoint libraries.

        3. Check if you are in the same scenario in this blog: Unable to open Office files from SharePoint site.

    If the issue persists, please provide the information below, so we can better understand your situation and help you.

        1. Does the issue occur to one specific file or all files in SharePoint Online?

        2. Detailed steps and related screenshots about how you encounter the issue and the error message.

    Regards,

    Yoga

    0 comments